South Carolina women’s hoops team decline invite to White House

South Carolina’s women’s basketball squad, the reigning national champions, finally received their invitation to celebrate at the White House on Thursday, but head coach Dawn Staley’s team isn’t going.

“We did hear from the White House about attending tomorrow’s event, but we will not be able to attend,” Staley told a local ABC station. “As I’ve been saying since our practices for this season started, all of our focus is on the season ahead. The only invitation we are thinking about is to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.”

At the end of September, Staley publicly expressed her discontent that the Gamecocks — who won the title back in March — had not yet received an invitation to the White House.

“We haven’t gotten an invitation yet and that in itself speaks volumes,” she told the Associated Press. “We won before those other teams won their championships. I don’t know what else has to happen.”

Those comments came just a few weeks after President Trump rescinded the Golden State Warriors’ invitation to the White House because Steph Curry said he didn’t want them going.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, who won the men’s tournament in March, are also not going to the White House.

The White House says other NCAA teams will attend a reception at the executive mansion on Friday but has not provided a list of the teams attending.

Trump hosted the 2016 NCAA football champion Clemson Tigers at the White House in June. North Carolina’s 2017 national championship men’s basketball team said earlier this year it could not agree on a date for a visit.

Trump sparred with professional athletes earlier this year when Curry said his championship-winning Golden State Warriors didn’t wish to meet with Trump.